Kpop & Joe Hisaishi appreciation post

(Kpop) Sick enough to die - Mc mong

I was kind of obsessed with this in middle school. Too bad Mc Mong was pretty much banned from public appearance for awhile because he pulled out his own teeth or something because he didn't want to be drafted. 

Merry go round - Joe Hisaishi 

(from Howl's moving castle)

I am forever in love with this. I have listened to this honestly more than 100 times and played on piano many times and haven't gotten sick of it. This is probably my favorite piece of all time.

(Kpop) The girl who can't break up the guy who can't leave - Lee ssang

This was on my dad's CD and I was like oh eargasm when I first heard it and yea loved it ever since. But they overplayed it on like Korean tv shows and stuff so I kinda got sick of it but I listen to it once in awhile.

Journey (Dream of Flight) - Joe Hisaishi

(from The Wind Rises)

 I tear up every time I listen to this. THE FEELS. WATCH THE MOVIE. I RECOMMEND 100% AND I EVEN WROTE A REVIEW ON IT.

(Kpop) Angel - Yoon Mi Rae

This is what inspired me to blog this appreciation post. I feel like this is too kpopy for yoon mi rae but I still think it's good. I came across this song during a korean tv show and I was like whoa I thought kpop was all about idols and their weird dance music but I guess not.

Umbrella - Epik High

This one gives me feels. I came across this through tumblr years ago and cried listening to it.

what I learned my first semester of freshman year in college

1. It is ok to screw up your grades. By this, I do not mean failing all of your classes. Doing worse than how you normally do is totally fine. You are getting used to college and figuring out your routine so it is alright. Plus, college exams are way harder! It is not unbearable but you have to study for it which relates to the next thing I learned..
2. Study. Like actually study. You know those easy classes that you have like health and communications or something like that? Yeah, you gotta study for those too. Crazy, right? Getting good grades in those classes will bump your grades up and they are supposed to be "easy" A's compared to your major classes so study and actually get that A! I made a mistake only focusing on my hard classes, which totally screwed me over. Yea, in college, you have to study for everything.
3. Be on top of your things. Have a planner. Actually use your planner. I have this bad habit of not actually writing down things on my planner so that was kinda bad too. If you're too lazy to pull out your planner, write your to do list on your hand or a sticky note. That saved me a lot. Also, syllabus. Checking your syllabus is always good and make sure to write down your exam dates and places for your finals!
4. Do not be a lazy bum. Get out there and use your resources. You are in college surrounded by endless opportunities and possibilities! You are paying for it after all so why not make the best out of it? Go talk to your professor, your TAs, look for jobs, research opportunity, internship, join clubs you're interested in, and so much more. My school has this building where you get to do crafts and mind spa and get massages when you're stressed so definitely do that too. And use their mini hospital too because you are paying for it after all. I think I am going to go to a nutritionist next term to have her get me a vegetarian/vegan meal plan because why the heck not? I might not be getting enough vitamins or something so seeing a nutritionist would be perfect.
5. Party all you want (to a certain limit please don't go super crazy though) your first semester. You are going to want to party and oh yes, it is fun. But after a while, you kind of get sick of it and some of you might find that partying is not your thing which is totally fine. If you don't party now, you might not be able to party all that much later on because if you are completely serious about your college career, you are going to have to REALLY focus on academics. And what's college without partying experience?!
6. Find a routine that suits you the best. First two weeks of college, I was determined to make everything right, get perfect grades and make perfect friends, but this stressed me out so much. It was not healthy for me. I kind of just went with the flow later on, having fun, enjoying my time, not stressing out too much about everything, and my life suddenly got better. Yes, grades are important and making the right friends is important too, but stressing out to make everything perfect is not healthy for you. If you are a perfectionist like me, please do not make the same mistake that I did.
7. You will appreciate your family whole a lot more when you go back home. I've always loved my family, but my eyes almost got teary when I saw them the first time I went back home. It was a part because I had such a hard time adjusting first few weeks, but I have no idea why but I just missed home.
8. Don't take hard classes your first semester of college. Yeah, please don't unless you don't really care about getting a 4.0.
9. Eat in your dining halls more. I thought I would actually run out of my dining dollars because I got the most basic plan, but I had a lot of money left.
10. Eat actual meals instead of snacking all the time!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and have breakfast!!! If you don't have breakfast, you'll be more likely to eat a pint of ice cream every night for two weeks. :) Just saying.
11. Go to the gym or take classes. First two months, I went to the gym maybe like three times a week, but the last month, I probably went to the gym only once or twice because I hate walking to the gym! It is so darn cold. But working out gives you endorphins and "the only workout you'll regret doing is the one that you didn't do." I also love cycling classes but my butt always hurts afterwards so there's that. And I've learned to love running!.. which I've been meaning to do during break but it is so cold..
12. Take A LOT of pictures!!! You're a freshman in college only once in your lifetime, so make sure to snap all your moments!
13. Don't stress out. Everything will workout eventually. You have been through so much already and college is nothing compared to all the things you've been through. It's just another step in your life. And you will eventually meet great people. It may take some time, but it'll all work out. So just be patient and continue to be yourself and get yourself out there.



This was kind of an advice for myself for next term too. Haha.

11/25

I love home. I am thankful that I always have a place and family to go back to. I truly appreciate what my parents have done for me and the unconditional love they give me. I feel nothing but love when I am here.

Today I ate an animal in four months after becoming officially a vegetarian. I debated on whether to have it or not, because I knew I wouldn't die from having one but it surely did not feel right to do so. But it was something that my dad prepared for me. He was so excited to have dinner as a family all together and got really excited to cook for me. I felt that it was rude to not even have one bite of it so I did eat it. I think I am finally going to tell my parents that I am a vegetarian soon, and I hope that they'd be supportive in my decision.
My mother talked to me earlier how it was cruel to wear/buy something that was filled with duck feather and made with leather. Well, isn't it also cruel to eat them? If we can survive without eating them, why do we?

Christianity is still a question for me. I have Christian values and morals for the most part, but I don't have faith -- and faith is what you absolutely need to be a Christian. I just don't believe in the bible because there are a lot of controversies surrounding the stories in it, and I personally don't agree with some aspects in it. And I feel like Christianity is just a loving community. I have cried before when someone prayed for me, but I am not sure if it was God's work or if it was that person's sympathy and recognition of my pain that I needed. I cannot force myself to believe in something that I don't have faith in, but I really do want to be a Christian. I want to be able to see what my family sees. I want to be able to connect with them spiritually too. But I don't know if I'll actually become a Christian if I actively want to be a Christian to fit in with my family. I don't know.

balance

My tumblr post from earlier in the month and saving it on here because I really like it and I need to constantly remind myself of this:

It’s honestly so weird being able to be care less and be more free, going with the flow, and taking it easy. The first few weeks of college was really hard for me, because the perfectionist side of me wanted to do well in every aspect of college life. I wanted the very best grades, social life, and I had it planned it all out how I’m going to balance everything out. Boy, I was wrong. Balance is NOT about planning; it is about going with the flow, making mistakes, fixing them, being unbalanced, and balanced again. Balance is not about perfectionism; it is about being imperfect in everything, but finding beauty and happiness in having imperfections in everything. I thought I knew what maintaining “balance” meant because I even got that as my tattoo, haha. But really, balance is the key to happiness. 

Take it easy. Let life just take you. Everything is going to be ok.

August 28. I love Hawaii.

Hawaii day 7. Last day.

I was excited to have Disney breakfast but too bad, we apparently had to make reservations earlier. We could've had it at 10:30am (which was the next spot available) but we were up at 8am so no, we weren't going to wait over two hours to have freaking breakfast.

my mother and I walked around the hotel and took pictures

   

I will forever miss this view.

they give a bracelet out everyday and this allows you to use the pools and slides. 

- we checked out and played in the pools

- i loved adult infinity pool. it was so warm and nice and everything

- went to the lawn to meet Mickey and Minnie before leaving

this is me waiting for Mickey and Minnie and scrolling through instagram.

we also took an awkward family photo with them.

I had pinkberry frozen yogurt at the airport! 

The hype is real. It was really good.

Overall, I'm so glad that I wasn't sick at all during the trip.

I also got to do almost everything I wanted to do in Hawaii -- hiking, parasailing, eating tropical fruits, paddle boarding, staying at disney hotel, eating tons of good japanese food, snorkeling a lot, and etc. I am more in love with the place and I can't wait to go back.

My mother is planning another trip during winter break (so happy that the person who works for my parents come back in the winter again!!) and she is thinking about either Whistler, canada or los cabos, Mexico. I am 100% for Los Cabos. I hate being cold, man. I love tropical places adskfalskdjfjsjflk I wanna go back to Hawaii.

August 27

Hawaii day 6!

- went grocery shopping

-I got some tropical fruits! star fruits, dragon fruits, and Hawaiian bananas!

- star fruits weren't ripe yet so they sorta tasted like unripe peach

- dragon fruits tasted like super sweet kiwi

- Hawaiian bananas were creamy yet they weren't super ripe.

Kimchi bar, whaaaaaat

went to the infinity pool to play with my brother 

- I played with him for like +3 hours

- we basically flipped each other over in the water for three hours

-i love that they have a hot tub

-dragged mom to the lazy river and got her soaked by 'waterfalls'

in love with this skirt!

went to monkeypod for dinner

I had pumpkin patch ravioli + garlic truffle oil fries. They were amazing.

I was really tired by end of the day so I knocked out.

My face started peeling and breaking out. Too much sun is not good I guess, but I got really tan.

August 26

Hawaii day 5!

- hiking up to Diamond head view point!

through the tunnel

up these stairs

First set of stairs were manageable

second one was hell

up these metal stairs

and now we're here!

so gorgeous.

It started sprinkling when we were heading back down and started raining when we were running to the car. Thank goodness we were at the top when it was clear!

Acai bowl for the first time! It was delicious!

We checked out of hilton and went to Shirokiya for the last time :( 

checked in at Disney Aulani! Service was not even comparable to Hilton (which sucked a lot) and we received those flower necklaces just like we did at Royal Hawaiian last winter! Perks of expensive hotels.

The place was absolutely breathtaking. It is a child's heaven... No, it's everyone's dream.

We went to the lounge because we checked in early so our room wasn't ready.

- hit up the pools to swim

-started off with a slide to lazy river pool.

-went to every single pool with my brother and my dad and we hit up the beach too.

my brother and I snorkeled there too!

I think I deserve the best sister award.

August 25

Hawaii day 4!

- went to Hanauma Bay again! 

- my brother and Yulbee (my mom's friend's daughter) kept touching the fishies

- my mother snorkeled again!

- went parasailing

- yeah, that's 1000ft sticker right there.

- I don't think this is us, but here we have Yulbee, my dad, and my brother doing 600ft.

- I went with Sara and her dad (because we were too light so her dad did it for free) haha.

- 1000ft rope and 400-500ft high up.

- I thought it would be scary but it was rather relaxing. But as someone who's scared of heights, I was  hanging on very tightly. I was scared that I'd fall off because it was like an unstable swing haha.

- It was fun especially when they dipped our feet in the water.

walking back to the hotel was excruciating because it was super hot. so my dad and i ran and dove into the ocean spontaneously and it was probably one of the most fun things I've done this Summer. And of course, everyone eventually joined us.

My dad got reallllllllllly tan.

That Japanese cheesecake was so amazing. I died and went to food heaven.

Here's my Japanese bento box I got from Shirokiya, Japanese food court.

A little peak at Hilton village

August 24

Hawaii day 3!

- woke up early to go to Hanauma Bay 

- saw many many fish and a big turtle too!!!

- also saw a humongous fish that looks like a monster

- the water wasn't as cold as it was in the winter so I really liked it and there were more kinds of fish this time. and my mother also snorkeled! 

I followed this little guy around hahaha Nemooooooo

- went to the blowhole lookout 

- the beach is gorgeous

-stood here and got splashed by water big time

- went to Goofy's Dine ? (totally forgot the name) this pasta was bomb. I only like pasta with tomato sauce but this oily pasta totally blew my mind. It was like some oil pasta with mushrooms and fried caramelized onions.. yeah, I died.

- kona coffee ice cream mixed with coffee sherbet to finish it off!

- the view from a family friend's room. They had a suite so of course they had this amazing view.